I remember when I just became born again I use to read a daily bread chapter every morning with an associated bible verse, that was devotion. As a new believer, very young in the faith at that time, I thought that was good, I was consistent in spending time with God and I was doing what I was “supposed” to do. As the time in my walk grew, I began to realize that something was wrong, I couldn’t hear God in the daily bread anymore. It was almost as if He withdrew Himself for me to seek Him and to grow pass that place of dependency on the devotion.

When this happened, naturally, I began to think I did something wrong, but then the Holy Spirit told me that God desired more of me. All this time, I was there thinking I needed more of God when it was God who needed more of me. That was when my real quiet time began. With my desire for more of God and His desire for more of me, our spirits connected, and we finally met each other and became one in spirit. God was always there, waiting for me, to have deep intimacy and a true relationship with Him but it was I who was not ready. I was stuck at devotion, when God was calling me to a deeper place in Him.

Here’s the truth about devotion where God is concerned. If we do a routine devotion where our time, action and thoughts are scripted, we will never experience the fullness of God in our lives. I know because that was my portion. Before I began seeking the Kingdom of God I was locked in a devotion routine but I was missing God.

The truth is the intimacy God desires from us can start with devotion, but it cannot stop there. A devotion routine will justify our conscience to feel secured in the action, believing that we have “spent time with God”, but that is not always true. Spending time with God can never be about us, it MUST be about Him. A scripted devotional agenda is a plot from the enemy because it keeps us exactly where you are, in our comfort zone, often times lukewarm and not changing. It was never God’s intention that our relationship with Him should stop at Hello, and that is what devotion is. It is an invitation to a conversation and not a scripted religious confession.

Imagine if you are expecting someone you loved dearly to stay at your home, with great excitement and anticipation, you have prepared everything in advance to accommodate this person, the food, sleeping arrangements and all that they would ever need for a beautiful stay. To your disappointment, when your guest arrives, they greet you at the door but refuse to come inside. Or even worst, they come inside but they completely disregard all you have prepared for them. They brought their own food, their own sheets and a sleeping bag. Now imagine how God feels when He has prepared the table before you for you to come and dine with Him, in anticipation for a conversation and fellowship and we come scripted. Never giving any thought to what the heart of the Father was for us. What daily benefits He had for us in that moment, we just went through the motion of devotion. He was prepared, we showed up and prepared for ourselves a meal when the table was already set for us.

There is such a thing as fake intimacy. It is a form of intimacy that appears real but is in fact religious. Fake intimacy is where we spend time with God out of duty, religious obligation and for our own satisfaction. We may call it devotion, quiet time, or prayer meeting, but whatever name it is given, the real meat of the matter is that in these sessions what usually happens is scripted and is not led by the Holy Spirit. We sing a song, do a chapter of a daily devotional and move on. The sad truth about this kind of intimacy is that it does not lead to change or transformation. It leaves us feeling justified in the flesh but deeply lacking in the spirit. After such a devotion, we often leave the spot the same way we arrived, untouched and unbothered.

True intimacy begins with God and the Holy Spirit. When we go to God with a list of things we desire to do for Him, there is no room for the things He desires to do in and through us.

Fake intimacy will make a person feel great about their action, but it will never change their heart condition. There are so many of us who has never missed a morning of devotion or quiet time but in our hearts, we are rebellious, stubborn, unforgiving, angry and bitter towards others. Yet we say, we have spent an hour in devotion this morning.

If you do not hear from God in your devotion, you have not moved Him. It means your devotion is for you and God is there waiting for you to come up higher.

The purpose of alone time, quiet time, or devotion is not only for God to hear from you but more importantly, it is for you to hear from God.

The truth about true intimacy is that it wrecks your heart, it breaks you, it causes you to realize how much you need God and it leads to sincere repentance. Other times, it comforts you, it corrects you. It guides you and whatever you need in a moment is provided by the spirit of God. That intimacy has no end, it may begin at a devotion but it will never end there. True intimacy with God addresses every hidden heart condition and corrects, heals or exposes it.

I can never be in malice, angry, or even upset with someone and be in the presence of God. The moment I begin to sit quietly with a heart open to hear Him speak, He would either lead me to a scripture or speak to me directly about what is in my heart. There was a time when, if I had mistreated or misspoken to someone, and if I had not repented for it, usually, I would skip quiet time, because I know once I sit in the presence of the Lord to seek Him, He will confront it. No offense can stand in the presence of God.

 God will never speak to us about ministering to another before ministering to us first. He will not instruct us to correct another before correcting us first. Why? Because He cares more about our character than our actions. Our obedience to God becomes null and void if it comes from a place of duty and a motive that wants to do rather than become. God’s goal for us is to be fully conformed to the image of His Son Jesus the Christ. Character and Integrity is important to God. True intimacy with God is listening completely to the Holy Spirit moment by moment and to be led by the spirit in all things so that we may live after the spirit and not after the flesh.

Intimacy should never leave you without instructions, without repentance, without a true heart transformation. It is through this life that we learn the counsel and the will of God for our lives, without it we are lost.

The table is set, prepared and waiting for you to dine and to be filled with the life of the Father, beyond where your devotion ends and His begins.